City of Victoria changes its tune on freedom of information

The City of Victoria has withdrawn its application to limit requests for information by Focus magazine.

In August, corporate administrator Rob Woodland applied to B.C.’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for permission to restrict the magazine to one active request at a time.

While the city claimed the number of requests filed by Focus overburdened city resources, publisher David Broadland countered that he suspected the move was strategic, to delay the release of specific materials related to the Johnson Street Bridge.

An adjudicator with the commission will no longer have to make a ruling in the case.

On Oct. 9 Woodland distributed a letter explaining his reasons for withdrawing his application.

“In the two months since the filing of the City’s application … the Respondents have made no new requests related to the JSB Project,” Woodland wrote.

By assigning extra resources to the job, the city has fulfilled all but one outstanding request by Focus, he continued. “Thus it is no longer necessary to proceed with the section 43 application.”